Home Again
Chapter Four - Curious
By Paramour Party


Note:
Hermione POV! I took some time off from writing which was nice, but then it took me a while to get back into the routine I had last month.


Wednesday, June 29th, 2016

Hermione was in over her head. She woke up around noon from a fitful rest feeling both disoriented and then disheartened at seeing the ceiling of her tent. Agreeing to follow a man nearly everyone was afraid of, even with Gladiolus's assurances, wasn't exactly the brightest idea she'd ever had.

She sat up from her cot and rolled her shoulders back, a hand coming up to rub at a sore point behind her neck. She'd done quite a bit of wandless magic that had her feeling a little drained and sore, but all things considered not worse for wear. Hermione resolved to keep practising, especially now if HYDRA was going to keep sticking their heads into her business. She wondered if there was a way she could use runes to amplify her wandless work and she reached for her bag to get her notebook.

The thick brown envelope from Gladiolus slipped off the chair when she grabbed her bag. She'd almost forgotten about it. When she opened the envelope, there was money in several different kinds of currencies, though primarily American dollars. There were a few fake IDs and finally, there was a letter and a slim mobile phone.

The letter was short and straight to the point. It was the key for a code that was personal for the both of them. She memorized the key and code easily, burning the note and vanishing the ashes with a wave of her hand. She hesitated in powering up the phone and decided to wait until they were settled at the safe house to do so.

Packing everything away and making a quick note in her book to research amplification runes, she stood to stretch. She could hear James moving around in the common space but hesitated in joining him. Instead, she stared at the USB she still hadn't packed away.

The subtle change in James's blank expression when she told him she hadn't opened it lingered on her mind. Did Gladiolus miss something? She wondered as she pulled out her laptop.

She frowned at her faint reflection on the black screen as she waited for it to power up. The bruising on her neck was nearly gone. The balm James handed her was almost as good as the bruisewort balm from her world. That was another thing she should look into. What plants could be found in this world that might have some magical properties in it?

The laptop powered on and she only had a moment of hesitation before she plugged the USB in and clicked open the folder that popped up. There were multiple files, most named with an initial and a date. The majority corresponded with what she recognized as the HYDRA files. There were a few that weren't initialled or dated but she assumed it would likely be whatever independent research people did on Calanques.

Before she could click one open a new window popped up. It was a small black square with blue lines of text scrolling quickly before it paused and faded into a white logo that seemed to glow faintly with blue; it was a circle with a large A, the line through the letter turning into an arrow. In the mere seconds it took the logo to focus, an Irish voice came through her speakers.

"Hello, Miss Granger."

Hermione slammed the laptop shut, heart pounding. What the hell was that?

She caught her breath and cautiously opened her laptop again waiting for the programs and the USB to load once more. The small box popped up yet again and the Irish voice was still there.

"Apologies for startling you."

"Who are you?" she asked, feeling strange for talking to her laptop.

"I am F.R.I.D.A.Y. an A.I. created by Tony Stark."

Hermione scowled. "How the hell did Gladiolus miss this? And what do you want?"

"Facial recognition through the built-in webcam, mam. I was only to present myself and some files to you. Mr LeBlanc would not have been able to find me even if he wanted to." A new folder popped up on the original USB window. This one was titled, Granger.

Hermione clicked it open. There were several files in this one, the names of them making no sense to her, just a jumble of numbers and letters. There was only one document that was titled clearly in all caps: PLEASE READ.

"What was the purpose of this?" Hermione didn't move the cursor to open any of the documents.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. took action on her own, opening the word document for Hermione as she spoke, "to prove to you that Mr Barnes means no harm. That he and the rest of the Avengers want to protect the power sources you have been working on."

"A letter was supposed to convince me of this?"

"They had to try."

Hermione was silent as she stared at the word document.

To Hermione Granger,

I know you have no reason to believe a word anyone says, least of all from myself. But I am hoping that, should you decide to give us a chance, we are looking to ensure that the power sources you are working with remain safe. That you remain safe.

Actions speak louder than words. We may not know the extent of your abilities or the reasons behind your actions regarding the power sources but I know that you mean no harm to anyone. You'd been presented with several opportunities to take lethal action against HYDRA, and you didn't take them. I know many others who wouldn't have that same restraint. I know you're working to protect these power sources and while there's a possibility that you may just be biding your time, I don't believe that to be the case.

Please let us help you. If you cannot take the word of the Avengers as a whole, to work on keeping your power sources safe. Take me for my word, whatever it might mean to you. All I want to do is help.

You'll find attached, some decrypted HYDRA files. These files were created after the data dump and aren't circulating the underground. A few of them have mentions of further research HYDRA is doing with the readings they managed to get from that initial surge you caused in 2014. It's not a priority project for them at this time but it's active.

I will keep my distance until you approach me, but I'll be near enough to ensure HYDRA doesn't get to you. If you want to talk, please don't hesitate to reach out to myself, or F.R.I.D.A.Y.

There was a phone number at the end of the fairly formal letter, though it wasn't signed. She didn't know what to say. "I need to think," she murmured more to herself but the A.I. still responded.

"Of course, Miss Granger. Should you have any questions, I will do my best to provide the answers for you. Of course, my protocols will prevent me from sharing any sensitive information."

Hermione nodded, carefully disconnecting the USB and shutting down the laptop.


She really was in over her head. She'd caught James as he was ending a phone call, a map spread out over her table and a marker in hand. Hermione wondered if he even slept and decided against bringing up the letter in the USB.

Instead, she sat across him at the small dining table as he explained their plan going forward. A small lunch sat between them, food that Gladiolus generously prepared and packed for them.

"Are you mad?" she asked astounded, "we're in the middle of running away from HYDRA and now you're planning to go to one of their bases?"

James merely shrugged and tapped a point he'd circled on his map. It was a forested area between Calanques and Nice. He was planning a pit stop in Marseilles so that they could drive by a potential HYDRA hot spot on the way to the safe house.

"HYDRA is a danger we need to take care of. The thing you need to understand about them is they're almost exactly like the myth. Cut one head up, two pop in its place. Destroying as many bases as we can slows them down. It's the modern-day version of a flaming sword."

Hermione looked sceptical.

"HYDRA is dying," he continued, "They're grasping at anything they can so it's better to take them down while they're still rebuilding. Doesn't it worry you that they're so close to a spot allegedly near your second power source?"

Hermione didn't comment on it and changed the direction of the conversation. "And what- I'm just supposed to sit in the car and hope they don't catch me while you burn them down?" she asked mostly rhetorically.

"Well, no. I was going to leave you at the safe house."

Hermione glared at him. "Absolutely not." Scenarios of all the things that could go wrong ran through her mind like wildfire. "And if something were to happen to you and you couldn't get to me, how do I know if whoever approached the safe house was friendly?"

The way he eyed and assessed her from across the table had her tensing. He folded his arms on the table. "What are you saying then? You gonna storm a HYDRA base with me?"

She frowned in thought. For all of the Gryffindor courage Hermione possessed, she also knew that she was not trained in any way shape or form like this man was. But… she'd been in combat before, she knew how to defend, and if they weren't expecting her, surprise and the unknown could work in their favour.

Hermione ran her hands through her hair, not caring how it made her curls even more unruly. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she murmured and sighed. She stared right back at James, not backing down. "You said you wanted to know if my shield would block bullets? Why don't we try it out?"

She tried not to let his small pleased smirk get to her as they stood from the table.


There was a curious feeling around James when she pulled out her wand and then transfiguring a dummy mannequin from a chair in the tent. She set it up a good distance across the field. From there she added a few protective runes over the mannequin, just in case.

"You can ask, but I might not answer," she told him.

He had pulled out one of her small tables from the tent and lined up a few of his guns and ammo. A few she recognized as the ones he pulled from his flat, but one was different. It was more of a chrome than a solid matte black and it looked to be of higher-tech.

"That," he said nodding at the wand in her hand, "You didn't use it until the very end last night, and you treat it almost like… a tool?"

She pursed her lip in thought trying to decide on the best answer. "It's my wand so I suppose it can fall under a tool. It helps me focus my abilities."

"You don't always need it?"

"Not really." she shrugged. "But doing things without a wand is expensive energy-wise. I've not yet perfected the art of wandless craft. I'm much more practised using my wand. It'd be even better with a wand that agreed with me," she murmured the latter part to herself and if he heard her, he didn't comment.

She explained the different types of the Protego charms she knew. She took a spot behind the mannequin. Her added runic reinforcements on the fake metal should, in theory, work as a makeshift bullet vest if her shields fail. And she knew from the war that the charm did block kinetic attacks, so it should, again in theory, stand to block bullets. But this world had technology that was vastly different and much more advanced than the ones in her world. So she couldn't be too sure.

Hermione glanced around the mannequin wary but wand at the ready. "I'll expand the shield an arms-length around me, so aim there. And be careful for any ricochet. I'll cast on two and you can shoot on three?"

James confirmed and he set up with his first gun. Hermione gulped back her nerves and squared her shoulders. She counted down and cast silently. The bang of the gun reverberated around them. She flinched when she saw a spark less than a foot above her where a bullet collided with her shield.

He looked pleased with the result before moving on to his bigger scarier guns. A routine formed and it looked as though all levels of the Protego charm held against bullets. The chrome gun though could prove to be a problem in a long fire assault. The shields managed to hold against it but Hermione found herself winded with some sort of push back when the bullets seemed to emit some sort of energy in the ricochet.

James stood from his hunched position behind the table shouldering the chrome gun. "How long do you think you can hold a shield for?" he asked.

Hermione had been casting Protego nonverbally since her sixth year, but it was hard to put an exact number for the answer. Especially if she had to consider what she was casting alongside it, and if she was casting wandlessly or not. "I'm not too sure, it'd depend on several factors."

Before she could say more, he had put down the chrome gun and pick up two handguns and began firing in quick succession without warning. He emptied the magazines in each and was quick to release the empty cartridges and reload before he was firing again.

She'd just barely gotten her shield up in time and when he was done firing she glared at him. No guilt in her as she sent off a few stinging hexes in retaliation. The clearing was silent, the bangs of the guns ringing slightly in her ears.

"You're supposed to warn me!"

He didn't seem phased by her hexes and he merely rose a brow at her. "If you're set on coming with me, HYDRA won't warn you," he said, "great reflexes though."

Hermione didn't let up on her glare and James had the decency to look a little apologetic despite his lack of apology. "We should get going. We can practice some more tomorrow before we head to the base. We'll lose daylight if we don't leave soon."

He gave her a hesitant pat on her shoulder as they walked into the tent to pack up.

"Really though, I'm looking forward to working with you," he said before turning away.

Hermione watched him pack up his map and notes. There were moments where he seemed every bit of the ghost stories she heard. But there were other moments, where he didn't match the stories at all.


They'd been on the road for hours, the radio playing softly between them. Hermione woke when she felt the car come to a stop. She hadn't realized she'd even dozed off. The sun was starting to set and the time glowing next to the dash said it was a little after nine in the evening. She sat up glancing out the window to gauge where they were.

She noticed James glancing at her as he killed the engine and pulled the key from the ignition. "We're in Marseille," he said, "We'll stop here to grab something to eat and we should arrive at the safe house around midnight."

Hermione sat up and nodded in response. "Sorry I fell asleep on you," she said a little embarrassed.

He merely gave her what she assumed was a short reassuring smile before exiting the car. "I know of a bistro nearby that has a quiet nook we can eat in," he said instead.

She followed his example, exiting the car, stretching her arms over her head and straightening her clothes. The night was a little chilly and the city was still bustling. They must be in some sort of entertainment district judging from the music blaring from several buildings.

He locked the car with a beep and she came up next to him, following his lead down a few quieter streets. A little away from the busy nightlife of Marseille, they came up to a simple bistro that had a cottage feel to it. James opened the door for her and motioned to the nook on the right side.

It was all exposed brick with wooden furniture. There were low hanging lights and the smell of freshly baked bread. It wasn't overly busy and as he said, they managed to secure a table in a somewhat hidden corner nook.

She was quick to notice how it was equally spaced between the entrance and the back kitchen and he'd chosen the seat that would allow him to have a view of both.

Their food was quick to arrive and they ate quietly. Hermione was sipping at her tea before she broke the silence between them. "What exactly is going to happen to me?" she asked, "I know you promised Gladiolus that you'll get me to safety. But then what? What would that entail? Everyone seems to be making plans for me but leaving me out of them."

He looked up so suddenly, she could see the moment he realized his misstep in his eyes and it was enough to ease some of the lingering worries she had. She knew from his letter, he was offering help, but what exactly did that mean for her.

"Sorry," he said and his tone sounded honest. "I didn't mean-" he cleared his throat, "I'm used to just getting a mission and completing it. It's not an excuse but…" he trailed off and she knew where he was coming from.

Hermione nodded, while anything she could imagine about what his life could have been like with HYDRA was horrific, she's sure the reality of it was much worse. "It's okay, we've been busy so it wasn't likely to come up in conversation."

James ran what Hermione now knew was his flesh hand through his hair while his other hand, his metal hand, reached for his water.

"We'll get you to the rest of the Avengers. Get you set up somewhere if- if you don't want to stay with us."

Her fingers curled around her cup of tea, one tapping against the rim as she thought. "Stay with you?"

James shrugged, the movement was small and barely there. "I messaged the team," he explained, "They're aware of what happened and they don't mind. Stark has the room for it."

She frowned. "And it's also easier to keep an eye on an unknown." Hermione didn't bother to hide her thoughts; if she was going to trust these people to help her she needed to know.

The fact that he didn't refute her observation had her pursing her lips.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, we'd set you up somewhere else, safe and close by just in case."

"But likely under surveillance?" she asked with a sigh.

James nodded and they sat in silence again. Hermione contemplated her options. Going to America would allow her to find more nodes which was a plus. Staying with the Avengers or in a house set up by them? Both options sounded the same in all honesty, both included some form of watch, and she couldn't decide which made her feel most uncomfortable. The one where she could have a place on her own and pretend she wasn't on the run or being watched or the place filled with what people liked to call superheroes, some of them keeping an eye on her until they deemed her safe.

"How many people live with you?" she asked, deciding not to commit to an answer just yet.

"It can vary. Some people have other homes so they come and go depending on their needs or the missions. Everyone on the Avengers technically has a space for them on the compound even if they don't always use it."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the non-answer. "When it's a full house then."

"Maybe twelve people?"

She hummed. "And, say I did decide on staying with you, you're sure no one would mind?"

James gave her a small reassuring smile. "I'm sure. Besides, Stark likes picking up strays," he said that like it explained everything. And to him, she supposed it probably did.

She scoffed. "I'm not a stray cat."

James shrugged again but didn't say anything.

"I'll think about it then." Hermione crossed her arms over the table, gently pushing aside her empty plate. She tried not to tense when James's eyes seemed to sharpen as he looked her over again. It was intimidating to be assessed by a man she knew couldn't read her mind, but made her feel like he could. Like she was a mystery book and every moment they spent together he was getting closer to solving whatever puzzle he saw in her.

"For things to go easier, I'd like to know more about your work- the purpose of the power sources," he said as he mirrored her position, arms crossing in front of him on the table.

She swallowed her nerves. "It doesn't sound like you're giving me much of a choice," she eyed him wearily.

"You do have one. You'll always be given a choice, Hermione," he said something so earnest in his tone. "We will plan for your protection with or without any information you're willing to provide us. We're not without means, and I'm sure that Stark or Natasha will work out some information regarding the power sources with enough time and dedication without your input. I'm just saying it will be easier to prepare if we have as much information as possible."

Hermione bit her lip and hesitated. He was right, you can't plan well without the full picture. He must have seen her unease and he leaned back in his chair uncrossing his arms. She didn't wilt under his stare. "Tell me about the Avengers first?"

He nodded, calling the waiter to pay for their meal. He helped her from her seat and said, "I'll tell you about them on the drive."


Thursday, June 30th 2016

It was after midnight when they arrived in Nice. The safe house was a penthouse flat. It was all white and sleek, ceiling to floor windows and it only had one bedroom. She paused in the doorway then turned to one of the grey couches to drop her bag on it. Before she could comment on the room situation James turned to her from where he stood near the kitchen. He'd entered the flat first to inspect it and when he was done he gave her a satisfied nod.

"You can take the bedroom, there's an ensuite. I'll take the couch," he said. He walked across the room and was opening the closet by the door. She watched his hand brush along the back wall before pressing against it, a hidden compartment hissed open.

She blinked and just picked up her bag again to settle into the bedroom. Hermione paused again by the bedroom doorway. She watched him work and then glanced over to the couches. It would be much too short for him to sleep on, even if it was only for a night.

"Did you want me to at least expand the couch for you?" she asked, not quite willing to share a bed with a near-stranger, but feeling guilty at leaving the tall man, who honestly was doing so much for her, to the couch. "Or I can look into pulling the cot out of the tent?"

James looked up from his inspection a slightly surprised look in his eyes at the offer. He glanced at the couch and then back to her. "If you can expand it, that'd be handy."

Hermione nodded and put her bag away before going back into the living room. James was now digging through a large duffle bag she hadn't seen him with before. It was probably from one of the many likely hidden compartments around this place. She moved a few pieces of the furniture aside to make room and with a quick wave of her hand and a nonverbal spell, the couch transfigured into a long single-sized bed.

He'd turned to her with some curiosity but didn't ask whatever questions lingered at the forefront of his mind. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome." She turned back to the bedroom with one final glance back. But he didn't look up at her, busy with his preparation.


She'd showered and dressed for bed but sleep escaped her. There was light still filtering through the slim crack between the door and the floor which implied James was likely awake. She rolled over with a sigh.

Hermione pulled out the cell phone that Gladiolus gave her and powered it on. There was a message waiting for her in code, mostly just him checking in on her and confirming their suspicions. HYDRA hadn't outright entered his bar, but two agents had been seen hanging around the area.

She typed up a message to let her friend know she was safe and still with James but didn't tell him where they were or how much longer they'd be in the country for. She wanted to send an apology for all the trouble she caused him but knew that it'd only earn her Gladiolus's ire and refrained from telling him.

Gladiolus's reply was seconds later telling her to get some sleep and that her cat missed her.

Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled fondly at the message. She bid him good night and to stay safe before shutting the phone off again and hiding it away in her bag.

There was murmuring coming from the other room and Hermione stared at the closed door. James's voice was too low to catch what he was saying. A glance at the time showed it was a little past one in the morning and likely still early enough in the evening in the united states if he was on the phone with his team. They were supposed to arrive that evening to join them at the HYDRA base.

Summoning a sweater, she stood from the bed and pulled it on. She quietly opened the door and stepped out. James was on the balcony, one hand holding a phone to his ear and his metal hand holding a burning cigarette. He'd immediately turned to her at the sound of the door opening. He covered the receiver of the phone with an apologetic look.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Couldn't sleep," she admitted instead. He nodded and returned to talking lowly into the phone. She turned to the kitchen area to give him some privacy. Looking through the cabinets to find a mug and kettle and maybe some tea she was pleased to find some.

Once it was set on the small stove, she peeked out toward the balcony. She couldn't help but watch him, curious about him. He'd put out his cigarette in an ashtray she hadn't noticed was on a small table set. The smell of it was familiar and she sighed in realization. Her cat was a traitor making friends with a super-assassin.

She tried to picture her overly friendly cat who loved to cuddle with the tall somewhat broody man in the other room. Hermione couldn't help but try to fight off the smile that twitched at the corner of her lips. It just didn't make much sense, trying to match the stories to this man.

Of course, she understood that there was always another side to a story, and HYDRA's version of the asset, the ruthless Winter Soldier told one truly horrific story. But the man behind those horrors was… she thought on it, trying to find a matching word and came up short. He was cautious but kind. Dangerous for sure, but there was something soft about him that she couldn't place.

His face was usually blank which was kind of intimidating, but there were moments, as though he himself didn't realize it, where his true emotions seemed to gleam through for a short few seconds. Small smiles or smirks, apologetic crinkles around his eyes and the way his brows furrowed together. And curiosity, he seemed to be curious about everything she did.

It saddened her, to realize that HYDRA stole everything that made this man a human being and replaced it with commands to become a tool. She wondered about what he was like before HYDRA, the little bits of his true self that slowly revealed themselves.

Water boiled and tea brewing, she leaned against the counter, not wanting to disturb his conversation by stepping into the dining space near the balcony. She was partway through her tea when James came back in. He looked at her for a moment and she thought she was getting used to the assessing look in his eyes.

"How-" he paused before pushing through his thought, "How are you coping with everything? I know this must be stressful for you."

Hermione blinked, not having expected the question. "To be honest," she started slowly to gather her own thoughts, "it's an adjustment. But I knew that something would catch up to me eventually. You can't run forever." She looked out the window to avoid his eye.

He hummed in agreement. "Doesn't mean we won't try," he commented lightly.

She quirked a small grin but it faded into another nervous bite on her lip. "The power sources…" she started hesitantly looking at him.

He stood a little straighter from where he leaned against the balcony door but didn't press her to continue.

She sighed. "I'm working with the power sources because I'm trying to find a way home," she admitted. She moved to sit at the small dining table. "I'm hoping if I can find and power enough of them, it will bring me home."

James was silent in thought and Hermione finished her tea.

"Where is home?"

Hermione tensed, fighting against the two decisions: to tell him or to keep it a secret. She closed her eyes. "What if I told you that I'm from some sort of Alternate Universe? One that is similar but still vastly different from this one?"

His eyes were assessing her again as if he was trying to find the lie and found none. The stiff posture she didn't realize he held seemed to melt as he nodded at her. "Okay, we can work with this. Would you be willing to tell me how you got here?"

She played with her mug as she spoke. "I don't know a lot of the particulars. I was on a work assignment in my world, October 13th 2006. There was a fight and the power source in my world reacted to it. I think it burst but I can't be too sure, my memory of it is a little hazy." Her eyes couldn't focus on what was in front of her, the memory of that day trying to fight its way to the forefront of her mind. "And then I woke up here, it was October 13th 2014 and I realized very soon after that I was in a different universe altogether and not the future of my own world."

Hermione blinked and suddenly James was closer to her than he'd previously been. There was a cautious way he held a hand out to her. He pulled away when she looked up at him. James looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't know how. She looked away not knowing what to say and stood from the table.

"I should try and sleep," she said, "we have a big day tomorrow."

He reached out once more, the pat on her shoulder this time more tender than the hesitant one he did earlier in the day. "Thank you for telling me."

Hermione nodded and as she turned to the bedroom, she bid him a good night.

He returned the greeting just as softly.


Hermione woke early to an empty flat. There was a note on the table letting her know that James went to get them some food. She helped herself to some of the still-warm coffee he made. She stepped out on to the balcony taking in the light sea breeze.

It had been too dark when they arrived to see where in Nice they settled in. She noticed they were at the edge of the city, their balcony facing a great view of the seaside. She checked over her phone before pocketing it. There was a message from Gladiolus, another check-in and a photo of her cat. She didn't answer it yet and cooed quietly at the image of her sleeping cat. She really wished Persephone was with her right then. She missed the comfort and the sense of ease her cat gave her even when she demanded extra treats.

The sound of the door opening caught her attention and she watched James step in, a brown paper bag in hand. He approached her carefully, taking the other seat at the tiny balcony table set.

"Good morning," he said as pulled a wrapped meal for himself from the bag before he handed it to her. She peeked inside the bag to see a similarly wrapped meal. "It's just a breakfast sandwich. I kept it basic since I'm not sure what you like."

"Thank you," she said, pulling it out and unwrapping it. They both dug into the meal in silence. Hermione staring out at the view. She could almost pretend that this was just a normal vacation with a friend.

Playing pretend didn't last long though. She turned her attention back to him, taking in the shadows under his eyes. "Do you sleep?" she asked, and flushed slightly at the abrupt way she asked, "I mean- you're just always up before me."

James gave her that small shrug again. "I get by. It's hard to sleep without dreams," he admitted to her.

And that was a reality she could relate to on some nights. "Can… would you tell me about yourself? You seem to know a bit about me, but everything I know about you- you're like a ghost story. Some people don't like talking about you and others are fascinated."

He didn't respond and she winced. "Sorry, that was insensitive of me. You don't have to tell me."

He didn't look upset by her question, just blank. "You said you looked into me, what did you find?"

Hermione propped her chin on her hand as she watched him. Her other hand idly played with the fraying edge of the paper bag. "Not much to be honest. A few files I barely managed to decrypt in Gladiolus's office and most of it was redacted. And then there's a whole lot of gossip from the underground. You've been around for decades but don't look a day over thirty. HYDRA used you more as a tool than a human being. Some implied brainwashing of some sort."

James looked away from her then. She took in the tense line of his jaw, the way his lips pulled down into a deep frown and how his flesh hand clenched so hard against the sleeve of his hoodie, she worried it'd rip. "It's all true," he said.

Hermione frowned. "All of that is the Winter Soldier that HYDRA made you. It's part of your history, but it's not all of you. I want to know about you, not the soldier."

He glanced at her, silent and waiting. "Why?"

"If I'm going to trust you, shouldn't I also try and get to know you?"

His frown lightened, and Hermione liked to think the blank look on his face seemed to fade more a more relaxed resting expression. Maybe that same hint of curiosity she'd seen in his eyes already coming back. "Will you tell me about yourself?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied honestly a small encouraging smile on her lips. "I know my cat likes you. I recognize the smell of your cigarettes on her fur. I figure you can't be so bad if she's taken to you."

He quirked his own small smile in return. "She's a bit of a troublemaker, sneaking in no matter how many times I tried to kick her out."

Hermione laughed lightly. "Yes, she's like that. I haven't been able to train the adventurous side out of her, but I find it charming so I admit to not trying very hard."

James's smile faded slightly as he turned toward the sea again. "I don't remember much," he admitted, "Before HYDRA I mean. The man I used to be feels like a whole other person and sometimes it's like I'm just living in his body."

"What do you remember?"

"He had- I... I have a best friend. Steve."

Hermione's smile softened to mirror James's sudden fond feeling in his body language. "Is Steve the same Steve that's Captain America?"

James nodded with a light scoff. "Yeah, the scrawny punk from my memories is the same reckless adrenaline junkie." There was a hint of worry in his tone but Hermione didn't push. "What about you?"

"My best friend? Well, I have two, Harry and Ron," she laughed lightly as she thought back on her Hogwarts days, "They saved me from a troll when I was twelve and we'd been inseparable since."

"A troll?"

Hermione smirked at his confusion. "Yes, an incredibly stupid and somewhat aggressive being that can be about twelve feet high."

"And you encountered one when you were twelve?"

The curious look on his face was always so interesting to see when she could pinpoint it on his expression. Hermione felt a sudden hatred at HYDRA for taking it from him. He was right, they were a danger they needed to take care of.


After breakfast and small talk, they started to prepare for their raid. They went over the plans, and the schematics of the building they managed to get. By late afternoon, after a quick lunch, the set out to go. She'd packed everything away into her small thigh bag. And at James's recommendation, dressed in all black. She didn't hesitate to pull out the set of dragonhide clothes and boots, she, Harry, and Ron had gotten custom made when Death Eater activity started acting up. She pulled out her wand holster and clipped it into place on her forearm, and made sure her potions were at the top of her bag for quick access should it be needed.

She braided her hair back and away from her face. Hermione stared at herself in the washroom mirror, trying to calm her nerves. "Just pretend it's an Order mission," she said holding onto her obelisk pendent to ground herself.

When she stepped into the living room, James had also changed. Outside of his civilian clothes and into his combat gear, the dangerous air around him multiplied tenfold. This was what the underground was scared of. She gulped at the picture he made.

He paused when he glanced at her. He rose a brow but didn't comment on her attire. "We won't have time to practice your shields, but it's probably better for you to conserve the energy anyway."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"It's about an hour drive from here, faster if we can do your teleport thing."

She shook her head. "Doesn't work that way. I've never been there before so it'd be too dangerous to attempt it."

He shrugged it off, and grabbed a bag and held it out to her. "Is this too heavy for you?"

She reached for it and it was a little heavy, but nothing magic couldn't help her with it. "It's fine."

James nodded. "Is it alright if you carry that until we get there? We're not gonna take the car. I don't want to leave the car there and put LeBlanc in any more danger."

She slipped the backpack on and whispered the feather-light charm. She frowned when he handed her a helmet realizing what he meant by not taking the car. They walked down to the basement garage where he stopped by a sleek black motorbike.

"I've never ridden on one of these before," she said suddenly nervous. If it was anything like riding a broom she had a feeling this wouldn't go so well.

His brow furrowed in concern, and she wondered if she looked as nervous as she felt. He reached for her shoulder, bending a little so they were more evenly eye-to-eye. "Hey, don't worry." he tried to give her a reassuring smile. "You're starting to trust me right?"

"Yes."

"If you're brave enough to storm a HYDRA base, riding on the back of a motorbike with me should be a walk in the park."

She ignored his small please smirk when she pulled on the helmet, but let him help her adjust the strap. He put his own helmet on and settled on the bike. She bit her lip before she stepped up behind him and got on. He slid the visor of his helmet down and she followed suit.

"Hold tight," he said as he adjusted the arms she'd tentatively wrapped around his torso a little higher.

She shut her eyes when the motorbike roared to life and they were zooming off. Her hold tightened even more at the rev he did just before they sped up. Just what the hell did she get herself into? She wondered.


It was the longest one hour Hermione had ever endured, but all things considered, she decided that she'd pick the motorbike over a broom any day. Not that she'd ever admit it.

Even though they were about to raid a HYDRA base, James seemed to be in a strange mood. Well, strange in the sense of what she'd seen from him in the last day. She wondered if it was the revenge aspect of ruining HYDRA, or maybe it was the mission mindset.

They were hidden in the forest a good distance away from a concrete looking building. Parts of it were still under construction. What she could see of the building, it was shaped almost like a cross, though, the northern point was the part still being built. James had a scope in hand and he surveyed the area. He'd taken his bag back from her, taking out all of his weapons and strapping them on his back and legs for easy access.

"Where is your team?" she whispered.

"Running late," he said not fazed in the slightest.

He turned to look at her as he packed his scope away. "There are only two guards at the east entrance, it's probably best if we go from there. From the building schematics, there'll be a set of stairs 500 metres to the left from the door we can take to the basement. That's usually where they set up their computers. I want to see what files we can steal before we blow the place."

She scowled. "This is not the plan you were telling me this morning."

"I'm improvising now," he pulled two earpieces from his pouch and handed her one. "Besides, things rarely ever go to plan anyway. We'll be able to communicate with these if we get separated, and once the team arrives, they'll be able to coordinate with us."

"Of course it doesn't go to plan if you don't follow them," she muttered. She watched him turn on his comm and followed the instruction to do the same.

"It'll probably take them fifteen minutes for them to see the downed guards and sound the alarm, so we have to get to the computer room before then. I'll start the download, and you can keep watch on it while I start setting up the explosives."

"And if the alarm sounds before you get back?"

"Stay alive and I'll make my way back to you as quickly as I can if the download is incomplete. The team should be here by then, but I won't stray too far."

She squared her shoulders and followed his lead, "I'm going to cast a disillusionment on us. But it means we'll be hidden from each other as well."

He held out his gloved flesh hand and interlocked their fingers together. "We'll stay like this until we're in the computer room. Two taps means stop, three will mean go. One tap, means I'll let go and you stay put, I'll let you know when you can drop the illusion on me." He tapped the top of her hand with his index finger to show her.

Hermione took in a deep breath to prepare herself. "Okay," she said before she cast the disillusion.

She felt James move, likely inspecting his invisibility. "Huh, that was a strange feeling. Your abilities really are handy."

"Are we really going to start without your team?" She asked.

"They'll catch up," he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes knowing he couldn't see her. It was almost like talking to Harry when he was mission-focused.

He tapped her hand three times and then they set off on a steady careful path closer to the base. She couldn't see what he did, but even with him holding one of her hands, he managed to take down the two guards by the door in seconds, stealing both of their IDs.

They scanned into the building and quickly made their way to the stairs. She followed his lead, stopping before every so often for him to check and then continued when the coast was clear.

From what Hermione could see, the majority of the HYDRA base was built underground. They carefully rushed down five long flights of stairs before reaching the end of it. All the walls in this building was a cold grey concrete. The lights too bright overhead. Every HYDRA agent she saw roaming the halls were fitted in similar black outfits, a lot of them armed with large looking rifles and belts of ammo.

There were a few people she saw through windows of the hallway they were in, who weren't dressed like some sort of soldier. A few of them were dressed casually, and some even had stark white lab coats. She supposed an evil organization needed some brain along with the brawn to be moderately successful.

All too soon, they came to a stop in front of a large metal door. From the window, she could see several computers glowing with data. There were four people inside in lab coats working.

James opened the door slowly, none of the workers noticing. He tapped once and she let him drop her hand. She slid into the room and kept her back to the wall watching as each worker dropped to the floor.

She saw the middle computer that was previously closed come to life. "Hermione," she heard James call her over. She walked carefully to where she thought he was. He seemed to have sensed her because she felt his hand rest on her arm.

"Drop the illusion, stay here and watch this, it shouldn't take too long."

She dropped his illusion but kept hers up. "Something doesn't feel right," she said, "this felt too easy."

James still didn't look concerned. "It's HYDRA, they'll likely have something up their sleeve. I'll be quick." She watched him leave and bit her lip.

The USB he'd plugged into the computer blinked as it downloaded whatever information was available. The screen said it was already at forty percent.

"Testing," James's voice came through the earpiece.

"Shouldn't we have tested these before getting into the building?" she whispered.

She heard him huff in amusement. "I was 98% sure it'd work," he said, "I'm down the hall."

"Stay safe."

Only three minutes passed since he left before the alarm blared. She swore and ducked out of reflex even though she knew she was invisible. She looked at the screen and it was at ninety-five percent and she wished it'd be done already.

"Still in the computer room?" came James's voice, it sounded like he was running.

"It's almost done. I thought you said it'd be about fifteen minutes before they noticed!" she hissed.

"That would be my fault," a male voice she didn't recognize came through the comm.

She heard a sigh that might have been from James. "Steve, you gotta stop jumping outta planes without a parachute."

"I took out a machine gun on my landing," the person who was presumably Steve replied.

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose. This was really not going to plan, she thought. She heard two other voices on the comm, one female that expressed disappointment that they'd started without her, and another male who said he took down another machine gun. She didn't pay much attention to the rest of the conversation because the screen flashed showing her the download was done. She pulled the USB and pocketed it. "Your download is done. Where should I meet you?"

"I'm already on the floor above you, west corridor," James said.

She rushed out of the room and back down the hallway to the west corridor. There should be another set of stairs at the end of that corridor.

"I'll stick to aerial support," a deep-voiced male said, while a feminine one chimed in with a, "I'll meet you all in the middle, Cap is gonna start planting some explosive in the construction area."

Hermione ran up the stairs to the next floor up and when she opened the door, James was fighting against four agents. He saw the door open and positioned himself against the wall and Hermione took the opening to blast them away before dropping her disillusionment.

"Thanks," he said, tossing her a few devices. "This floor is rigged, we'll work our way up."

She nodded and they rushed back to the stairs going another flight up. "I'll set these down this corridor," she said.

"I'll focus on the southern point and we meet in the east," James confirmed and they set off.

Hermione remembered the points he'd suggested were the weak spots in the building's structure, sticking the devices along the walls. She managed to plant three of the five devices James had given her before the floor was swarming with agents.

She had her shield up in seconds as they began firing at her. She swore under her breath as she ran. Something burst on her left that had her stumbling for cover in one of the rooms. But that room had three agents firing at her.

"You okay?"

"Fine," she replied tersely, her wand was holding her shield up but she was getting surrounded. She pocketed the rest of the devices and with her free hand, she focused her magic, putting more power in it than she normally did, and blasted the three agents in the room. They collided roughly against the back wall and didn't get back up. She didn't hesitate to turn her attention to the ones that had followed from behind. She ducked behind the door before summoning their guns away from them with her wand and blasting them with her hand.

"Main and lower level one, set. Heading to L2," the woman said.

Hermione didn't pay it any mind and didn't wait for the downed agents to get up. Rushing out of the room and down the hall, she planted the last two devices she had. She started for the end of the east corridor when James caught up to her. He glanced back at the mess of agents she left behind her.

He didn't say anything, but there was something like approval at what he saw. "Let's go," he said.

She watched his back while he planted more devices while they rushed down toward the eastern staircase. Hermione had a shield up when she saw more agents rounding the corner and firing. "They're catching up," she said.

James pulled his handgun out clicking the safety off and focused on the approaching agents. "Keep moving. We have to get back to ground. Take lead and force them away, I'll cover behind us."

Following instruction, she continued forward blasting the door to the staircase wide open into the agents that were coming up from the lower levels. She switched to casting her Protego wandlessly so she could cast offensively with her wand with better speed. A few well placed slicing hexes slowed them down, but James was right. When one went down, two more came in its place.

They only got one more floor up before they were clearly outnumbered. She swore under her breath, starting to feel the strain from all the wandless casting.

"Cap and I are done in the construction, waiting for the go-ahead," the male who wasn't Steve said.

"We're still making our way up, currently on L3," James replied.

If there was any response, Hermione didn't hear it. Something exploded next to them and her shield falters for just a moment from the distraction, but it's enough for her to get sideswiped. James is quick to engage in a fistfight with several skilled fighters.

She grunted, her hands coming up to hold the agent that was on her. Their hands pushed down trying to crush her throat, but she fought back with a desperate blast and stun wandlessly. Hermione felt her pendant pulse against her skin. She didn't have time to think about it just then because another agent turned to her.

Rushing to her feet, she circled to shoot another blasting hex causing the man to collide with an agent about to attack James from behind.

Hermione could feel her pendant warming under her shirt but she didn't want to risk taking it out to inspect it. She just hoped it didn't get any warmer than it already was and burn her.

She'd attacked three more agents charging at her and turned to her next opponent only to see a red-headed woman seemingly drop from the ceiling and land on the man's shoulders. She drove a device into his neck and watched it spark. Then the woman jumped up, landing gracefully as he crumpled to the floor.

She turned to Hermione. "I found our friends," the woman said into the comm, her eyes had the same assessing look that James had. She smirked with a friendly little wave of her hand before she danced her way around other HYDRA agents.

Hermione focused back on the task at hand, continuing to clearing a path to get above ground. She couldn't help but glance at the woman she now knew was the Black Widow. Honestly, as scary as these super-spy-assassin-what-have-you were, it was inspiring to see how gracefully this woman took down men nearly three times her size. James's fighting style was, while very refined, kind of rough and a little barbaric. But this woman? It was a ruthless dance and it kind of made her want to learn. It'd help supplement her offensive magic. Wizards were very rarely so physical.

With the three of them fighting, it was a little easier to get back above ground. Her pendant was burning against her skin by then but she continued to ignore it. A black man with metal wings swooped down, tackling agents as he went when they reached the main floor. She blinked and supposed that answered the questions of who the other male was. "Ready to detonate?" Falcon asked when he landed next to James.

"As soon as we're clear here," he replied.

"Where's Cap?" asked the Black Widow.

"On your left," came Steve's voice from the comm and moments later he was running into the main floor from the incomplete north hallway.

"Man, shut up," Falcon said.

Hermione watched them all; Falcon's roll of his eyes, Widow's amusement at the sudden banter between the pair, and how Steve strolled up to James and squeezed his shoulder. It was a short moment, but that fact that they decided to take this moment to stop and chat in the middle of taking down a HYDRA base baffled her. These people were all mad, she thought. it was the only explanation.

Her thought must have projected on her face or something because James shrugged at her with a small barely there smile. And then the short break they had was over, they focused on rushing out of the building, fighting against the agents that had regrouped outside.

When they were far enough from the building, one of them must have set off the explosives. She didn't watch it burst behind them. Although, Hermione could feel the heat of it when the fire roared out.

Before they could get any further, someone swore as they stared down a large tank-like vehicle with a large gun pointed in their direction.

"This really wasn't in the plans," she murmured to herself. James took hold of her as they all jumped out of the way from the projectile that exploded behind them. The ground shook on the impact.

She looked up from behind a tree James had tucked them against to see HYDRA was already reloading their weapon and aiming. Falcon took to the air to attack the foot soldiers from above while Widow and Steve ducked behind his shield to block the gunfire. James tried to push her behind him, but she wouldn't let him. Not if she could cast a shield strong enough.

"Hermione, stay back."

She ignored him, the pendant's burn was almost unbearable now and she pulled it from her shirt. She had to trust her gut, trust in her magic because it hadn't stirred her wrong. The pendant glowed and pulsed in her hand and then HYDRA fired.

"Hermione!" James tried to urge her back.

But she stood firm and tall, wand pointing straight in one hand, pendant in the other. The magic from the pendant powered her casting. There was a hard blast on the impact of her shield that filled her vision with fire. The energy from the hit pushed her back a few steps back, making her drop to her knees. But when she looked up breathing heavily and feeling drained, everything was quiet.

The tank was decimated, the HYDRA agents unresponsive. Fire and smoke burned in front of them.

James was next to her, a warm hand on her shoulder. "Is everyone okay?" a voice came through the comm, but her ears were ringing from the blast and she couldn't tell who asked and if anyone answered.

"Are you okay?" she heard James ask as he helped her up.

She nodded wincing a little from a twinge on her knee. "Yes. I think so." Her mind was racing about the pendant.

"What was that?" Falcon asked as he landed next to them, Widow and Steve approaching as well.

James explained how her shield worked and she carefully didn't look at the curious stares it got her from his team. Instead, she focused on the burning mess in front of her.

The level of damage from the ricochet didn't match the first launch of the projectile. She knew she cast a nonverbal Protego with her wand, but she wondered if the pendant picked up on her intent to cast a blasting curse and amplified it. Magic always worked with intent. Was this what the Death Eaters were trying to do? To harness the power of the ley lines to amplify their spells? That was a horrifying thought.

"You sure you're okay?" James asked, jolting her from her thoughts.

She blinked up at him and realized they trekked away from the wreckage through the forest stopping in a clearing. His hand was between her shoulders guiding her. "Just drained," she replied. "What happens now?"

A moment later a jet shimmered into view as though a disillusion fell from it.

"Now, we head home," he said.

She sighed in relief. Home sounded nice.


I hope you didn't mind the wait for this chapter! For some reason I was having a hard time writing it, these characters just didn't want to follow the outline I had set haha. I really wanted to give Hermione and Bucky some alone time to get to know each other before the team swoops in. I hope I did their interactions some justice!

Some of you might be wondering when the romance is gonna kick in, and I hope you're okay with a slow-ish burn. One more thing! Starting next chapter, I'll likely be splitting the POV between the two of them now that the timeline has essentially caught up. I was going to split it for this chapter as well, but it didn't work how I wanted it to, so this final draft ended up being only Hermione's POV.

Anyway, I hope you're still enjoying this! Thank you all so much for your feedback and the love I've been getting.

Stay safe out there!
Until next time